Conservatory Foundations

[Paul_Thomas]

We have a 3.5 x 4m conservatory which was built approx. 5 years ago.
Two walls are dwarf walls and the third is approx 6ft high with small windows above.

We have notice a crack forming where the 6ft high wall joins the house, over time this has gotten worse. The crack is worse at the top of the wall and it looks as if the wall is sinking at the end furthest from the house.
The walls are double skin with insulation inbetween. All windows are double glazed with K Glass and a Quad compartment plastic roof.

If I put a spirit level on the shelf of the wall it is significantly out of plumb.

We have had the Conservatory people back in to fix a leak in the roof, a year or two ago, and they out some silicon in the gap outside where the two walls meet.

As the crack has got worse I decided to investigate the foundations today, I dug down in one corner where the 6' high wall joins the dwarf wall and there appears to only be 1-2" of concrete pad on the outside of the wall and it is only 5-6" deep!

Can somebody please confirm what depth/pad width they would expect to have been used?

I plan on visiting the Conservatory people tomorrow so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for reading this rather long post!

 

[noseall]

a 6'-0" high wall commands a bit of respect and a decent foundation.

the concrete should be a minimum 200-250mm thick and at least 500mm wide and be as deep or deeper than the house footings.

building control insist on a 1 metre minimum depth dig (below ground level) to alleviate any discrepancies.

conservatories are largely b.c. exempt, so they get away with murder.

 

[Paul_Thomas]

Does that mean my walls are therefore exempt from BC?

Are the foundations suitable or should I be kicking up a fuss? After all the wall is slowly subsiding!

Thanks

 

[masona]

I think the only way now is underpinning preventing the wall slipping further unless the wall is rebuilt with new deeper footing.